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The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Islamabad, Pakistan to promote science, technology and innovation (STI) as a key means of implementation to meet the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. S. M. Junaid Zaidi, Executive Director of COMSATS said, “Avenues of collaboration between COMSATS and ESCAP exist in different fields including information technology, biotechnology, fuel cells, and nanotechnology.” He also added that, “support and cooperation from organizations like ESCAP can help COMSATS achieve its goal of sustainable development of its member countries.”

Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, United Nations Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, said, “STI knowledge sharing and collaboration will be critical to ensure that no country is left behind in the frontier technological revolution. This partnership with COMSATS pools together our collective STI resources and expertise to support our respective Member States to chart this future together.’”

The Agreement will see both parties collaborate on joint research, events, capacity building, and strengthening the COMSATS STI Network of Centres of Excellence, providing comprehensive thought leadership, cooperation platforms and technical and advisory services, to support member countries’ efforts to exploit the potential of STI for sustainable development.